


Future Endeavors

by Zenith_Lux



Series: Through the Ashes [4]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post Blazing Tempest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 12:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20874296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenith_Lux/pseuds/Zenith_Lux
Summary: When Vergil is left home alone for a weekend, Dante and Nero are quick to abuse his omnipotent A.I. Alice who may or may not have access to Vergil’s bank account. And while he’s losing his mind, Kyrie, Nico, and his wife are off on a retreat where Kyrie learns some life-changing (but welcome) news.





	Future Endeavors

**Author's Note:**

> And back to fluff! We'll be back to angst in about... 1-2 stories? Not 100% certain yet. 
> 
> Regardless, hope you enjoy!

“Is it alright if I disappear for the weekend?”

Vergil glanced up from his book as his brain took far too long to process what Ashira said. “Disappear?” He said. “That’s rather… dramatic.”

She tugged on the sleeve of his jacket - her go to attire for the house now, apparently - oddly nervous. “Kyrie invited me on a retreat with Nico… but I haven’t really gone anywhere recently… so…”

“Do you want me to say no?”

She paused, and he could see the inner turmoil on her face. Odd. Ashira was usually excited about prospects like this one. Though he supposed she hadn’t travelled very far out of Corona without him. “I… don’t know.” She said finally. “Kyrie said the cabins are nice, and there’s a lake nearby and some nice hiking trails. The other twenty people Kyrie knows, and she says she’s always felt refreshed after the trip.” She chuckled. “Nico tried to tell me about all the beautiful views, but that’s not a very good selling point at the moment.”

Vergil snorted. “That is considerate of her, I suppose.”

Ashira shrugged as she plopped down on the couch and curled up beside him. “I just…” She sighed. “What if something happens while I'm there? Surely no one else is a demon hunter.”

“Hey!” Griffon appeared on the back of the couch, irritated. The two familiars had only been her partners for a few weeks, but he was easily the most vocal. Even V had begun to rest more often, as the less energy she spent on keeping him in physical form, the better it was for everyone. But Griffon could come out at will, and without her help. “You think I can’t handle some lousy demons?”

She scowled at him. “I didn’t say that.”

“Because our little partnership has been rather decent, Princess.”

“Shadow’s done most of the work.”

Vergil swore he heard a purr in appreciation, but the panther didn’t appear. “Oh I see how it is.” Griffon huffed. “You like her more than me!”

“She is quieter.” Vergil muttered.

“To you maybe, Boss.” Griffon hopped up and down the couch, ruffling his feathers as he did so. That particular nickname had been a recent one. Vergil had accepted it, mostly because Griffon would have used it more if he hadn’t. But he didn’t miss the small bit of reverence from the familiar, and that same respect had started seeping into how he spoke to Ashira too. But the bird would never, ever, in a million years, admit that he actually liked them. “But to me she never shuts up.”

A low growl reverberated in the air. Griffon snapped one of his wings open. “See?”

“You’re both loud.” V’s voice grumbled.

Ashira threw her hands up in defeat. “I think I’m certifiably crazy.” She sighed, shook her head, and looked back to Vergil. “But I should go, right?”

“Only if you want to.”

“Well Dante and Nero asked to come over if I do.”

Vergil bit back a sigh as he rubbed his temples. “Why?”

“They said they can’t leave you alone during such trying times.” She tilted her head with a sly grin. “Do you want me to say no?”

He waved his hand dismissively before dropping it over her shoulder. “Just go. I’ll figure it out.”

She kissed his cheek. “Good luck.”

* * *

Little did Vergil know (or maybe he did know and just didn’t want to admit it) how bad things could be with both Dante and Nero in the same house. They fed off of each other. And not how Vergil and Dante did where it was pure aggression in an open field somewhere. But in their own kind of way, where they argued over almost anything. while nitpicking both each other and him (the latter of which was wholly uncalled for). Dante had joked about the cleanliness, because he of all people would never understand the value of a clean living space. Then, he noticed the schedule on the fridge and post-it notes that Ashira had left of things to do, and he’d nearly lost it. And Dante’s rather sly comment after the discovery, (“Ashira must be cracking that whip, eh Verge?) had earned him a half a dozen swords to the chest and a glare that could have melted concrete. Then he said almost the same thing about Nero and Kyrie, which prompted a wing-fueled punch to the jaw. That, of course, shattered the book shelf, which turned Vergil’s anger on Nero, who quickly rushed to the store and replaced it

But Vergil could withstand the teasing and the occasional violence, assuming he didn’t have to pay for the damages. But what he was beginning to loathe was how absurdly messy they both were.

Dante’s habits, while not welcome, were expected. Given the state of Devil May Cry after only recently returning to the business full time, Vergil wasn’t certain the word “clean” was in his brother’s dictionary. But Nero was a different matter entirely. His own home was immaculate, and Vergil knew from his visits that Kyrie was not the only one doing the chores. Partially because Nero could do things at devil speed that would take her hours, but mostly because she would probably kill him if he didn’t help.

But here, in Vergil’s spotless house, on Vergil’s pristine furniture, in Vergil’s perfectly clean kitchen, and everywhere else that was Vergil’s, they were a couple of hooligans on a mission.

Dante whistled as he rummaged through the fridge. “Damn.” He said, pulling out a can of Splash; Ashira’s newest drink of choice. Last week, she had tried some horrid concoction of caffeine, sugar, and citrus. That had not gone well for either of them. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think we’d walked into the wrong house.”

Vergil, who had stubbornly resigned himself to V’s recliner so he could glare at everything on the bottom floor, shook his head. “I believe it was you two that told me to live a normal life.” He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They had only been here twelve hours, after being dropped off when Nico and Kyrie picked up Ashira, and already his patience was wearing thin. And, as he had learned over the last few months, that led to one of two things: a duel to the metaphorical death or an incessant amount of sarcasm. He had no idea when he developed the latter.

“Didn’t think you’d actually do it.” Dante said as he kicked the door closed. Vergil twitched as a small boot print was left behind.

“He’s been doing fine.” Nero said gulping down one of the many beers Dante had brought with them. “You could at least give him props for that.”

“I just did, kiddo.” Dante plopped down on the couch. It whined underneath him, and Vergil almost expected it to break in two.

“That was a pretty poor excuse for a compliment, red-guy.” Calcifer said, his face full of chicken.

“He knows me better than that.”

Vergil sighed. Unfortunately, Dante was right. Because if anyone could get under Vergil’s skin, it was his twin. But Vergil was determined to remain calm and, aside from the sarcasm he was unable to hide any longer, pretend nothing bothered him until Ashira got back.

“How long will Mama be gone?” Calcifer said.

“Three days.” Nero said.

“And we’ll be here for all of them.” Dante grinned.

Suddenly, a stroll off the cliff outside of Vergil’s apartment sounded very enticing.

* * *

Ashira was at the retreat for all of thirty minutes before a demon showed up.

It had been Griffon who had alerted her to it, though he hadn’t been able to give her more than a vague, “I just sense it!”. So, as the 21 other women were crowding around a campfire, Ashira and Nico were wandering into the woods, because Nico would rather “die than not investigate such a thing”.

Honestly, the whole thing was absurd. But Ashira was restless after the sixteen hour drive. And this was something to focus on; something normal, given her life.

“I aint saying I don’t trust ya, birdie.” Nico said. “But we’ve been wandering for…” A pause. “Over an hour.”

“My senses are a lot better than you’re givin’ me credit for, lady!” Griffon snapped from somewherein the air.

“Maybe you’re just distracted by all the trees!”

Griffon swooped down, presumably to fly around Nico. Ashira didn’t bother checking. “You and that pipsqueak are so rude!”

As the two started arguing, Ashira whispered a soft “V”. He appeared, but not physically. This way, they could talk without any non-familiars listening in. “Do you sense what he is?”

“Vaguely.” V said, but his serious tone implied that something was wrong. He didn’t seem to know what it was either. “If it’s demonic, it feels too small to be an issue.”

“But small demons can become big problems.”

“Exactly.”

Ashira sighed. According to Nico, the sun had already started to go down, so they’d probably start hearing the campfire songs soon. And she thought she should be enjoying herself. The women on the bus had been nice, at least. Once someone figured out she was blind, they had only asked a few questions before moving on to other topics of conversation. Which was a good thing, since Ashira hadn’t planned any lies about her blindness, and “I lost my sight after resurrecting” wasn’t a feasible answer.

But she felt strange. A part of her wanted to call it emptiness, but she didn’t understand it.

“You miss him.” V said.

“It’s been less than a day.”

“But this will be the first night in a long while that he will not be sleeping beside you.”

Was that really what it was? Dread? She had slept alone numerous times before Vergil’s impromptu week off, but afterwards… he had been home every night, hadn’t he? And even when he didn’t sleep (which wasn’t as frequent, as far as she knew), he was always there when she woke up, reading something. And she had gotten used to it… more so than she realized.

“I’ll be fine.” She said. “It’s just a couple of days.”

“You have no intention of sleeping.”

Shadow appeared at Ashira’s feet before she could respond. The panther growled softly, her tail flicking back and forth in something between annoyance and predatory. Ashira knelt beside her, petting her head. “What do you see?” She whispered. The panther’s eyes scanned the area before growling again.

“See?” Griffon said as he landed on Ashira’s shoulder. “There’s something here!”

Ashira narrowed her eyes, trying to pull apart the excessive amount of green in her limited vision. Then, she saw it. A very small, dark green soul that was almost hidden in the colors of the trees. It wasn’t a normal demon soul, as those were usually brown or gray. Nor was it very big, as it didn’t stand out like anyone else’s soul. But it was there, possibly hiding. “Griffon.” She said.

“You got it!” He shot into the green. Ashira heard a shriek as the soul tumbled to the ground. Griffon swopped down, grabbing whatever it was in his talons. Ashira saw a shimmer of something - her ability to see things when Vergil was holding them was not nearly as strong with her familiars - but she knew that the creature was not exactly a demon. But it also wasn’t a human. She tilted her head. Odd.

“Let go of me!” A very young, female voice echoed from Griffon’s talons. “I don’t want to be bird food!”

Griffon dropped the creature at Ashira’s feet. “I would never eat you.” Griffon said angrily as he hopped onto Ashira’s shoulder. She winced as his claws dug into her shoulder, but said nothing. She liked the extra weight he brought to her, as it was a reminder of what Vergil had given up to grant her such powerful allies. “You’d get stuck in my throat.”

Nico’s soul knelt down next to Ashira. Shadow sat somewhere behind the unknown creature, calm, but blocking any escape route. “A snake?” Nico said.

“I’m not a snake!” The girl-creature hissed in a very snake like manner. “I’m…” She paused. “Okay technically I’m a snake right now. But when I grow up, I’ll only be half of one, just like my mom.”

“You look like more of a worm.” Griffon said.

“And you look like someone my mom would eat for breakfast.”

Griffon’s feathers ruffled in annoyance. “Why does everyone want to eat me?”

Ashira glanced at V. His arms were still crossed, but his serious expression had lightened quite a bit. “It is a snake.” He said. “About as tall as the midway point of your shin. But she has some semblance of legs on the side of her body. Covered in green scales, just like the rest of her, but much too small to be usable.”

“Stop that!” The girl hissed.

“But you’re weird!” Nico said, and Ashira could imagine her poking at the snake, possibly with a stick. “And I love me some weird things.”

“Hey! I came here with a message.” The snake said. “For Mrs. Vergil.”

Ashira’s eyes shot at the snake’s soul. “For who?”

She heard a squeak of nervousness. “Well my mom couldn’t find a last name for you, and she didn’t want me to blurt out who you are. So, we figured your husband’s name would work.” Her little green soul bobbed back and forth, as if she were nervously slithering from side to side. “I’ve been looking forever! Jumping in and out of my mom’s world. Trying to follow you around Corona. But I could never make it up the stairs! Or into that weird, metal box thingy. Or… anywhere really.” Ashira could hear the pout in her tone. “I’ve been trying so hard, so hard!”

Ashira knelt down and held her hand out. The snake hesitated. “I cannot see you, little one.” Ashira said, hoping that was as inviting as she wanted it to be. “But I wish to know who you are.”

Slowly, the green soul moved toward her. “I’m watching you, Mr. Bird.” The creature muttered. As Ashira placed her hand on the ground, she felt smooth skin slither up into it. A moment later, she felt the scales of the snake’s nose tap against her forearm, alongside the strange tickles of little fingers (or toes?) along the side of the snake. They didn’t seem to stretch far, though, and Ashira imagined them sticking straight out, unable to curve toward the ground. The snake’s tail wrapped loosely around two of her fingers as the soul stopped moving. “Does that help, Mrs. Vergil?”

“Call me Shy.” Ashira said.

“You don’t seem very Shy to me.” The snake said, though her voice caught on the initial sound, creating more of an elongated “sssss - hi” than Ashira’s actual name. Close enough, though. She felt the snake nod as she continued. “My name is Lyra.”

“You said you had a message?”

“My mom wanted to meet you.” Lyra said. “She’s a healer, like your dad was.” Ashira binked, caught off guard. Assuming Lyra’s mother was a demon (and, honestly, that wasn’t too much of a stretch), then Ashira shouldn’t be surprised that Lyra’s mother would have known her father. But Kai had never spoken of it. Not that he had been given much of a chance to do so. He might not have realized this other demon was still alive at all. “And she thinks she can help you.”

“Help me…?”

“Learn!” Lyra said with a massive amount of pride. “Kai left her a letter before…well… before everything happened. You know…” Lyra trailed off, but Ashira nodded, urging her to continue. “He asked to give you some time to get used to everything, but worried that you would be unable to help your friend so soon.”

“Which friend?”

She felt Lyra’s head tilt as more scales pressed against her palm. “Kyra? Kylie? Christy?”

“Kyrie?” Nico said.

“Yeah!” Lyra said. “That’s it.”

Again, Ashira glanced at V. “Have you checked her soul recently?” He said.

Ashira bit her lip. Honestly, she hadn’t. Kyrie had been healthy, happy, and rejuvenated after her dealings with the Spider. Ashira had checked to confirm that the symbol was gone, but she hadn’t done any more than that. “Do you think you could resonate with her?”

“I think Shadow or Griffon are more than capable of that.” V said.

Ashira hummed to herself as she looked back to the snake’s soul. “I cannot meet your mom in person at the moment. Would you be able to send a message back for me?”

“Sure.” Lyra said. “And I can be back by morning with her response.”

After a quick promise to meet with the snake’s mother - despite Nico’s hesitance on the matter (“we don’t know anything about this demon!”)- the two girls returned to the campsite, all of the familiars sleeping back in Ashira’s head. To her surprise, Kyrie was missing from the group of stargazers, and a moment of panic swept through her. One of the women seemed to notice her concern, for she said, “she wasn’t feeling well, so we got her some medicine and took her to the cabin.”

Ashira glanced at Nico’s soul, but the latter was already sprinting up the hill. V appeared and beckoned for Ashira as he followed.

* * *

On the following day, after a quick demon problem that Vergil had taken care of before the sun rose, he found himself in his living room, staring down a dozen boxes, five take out bowls of chicken, and Dante in a brand new coat. And for a very brief moment, Vergil was tempted to throw his brother right out the window.

“What is this?” Vergil said.

“I was hungry!” Calcifer said lying flat on his back with two empty bowls beside him. “And Ms. Alice offered to pay for everything!”

The black box echoed off the wall. “What do you wish to buy?”

Vergil twitched. “Stop, Alice.” He hissed. When she went silent, he turned his now permanent glare to Dante. “And what is this?”

“Well,” Dante said. “Nero and I figured you needed a few things for the house. So, thanks to Ms. Robot over there, we took the liberty of doing so.”

“With what money, Dante?”

“Yours of course.” Dante shrugged. “I’m assuming that’s what she’s linked to.”

“... You spent my money on things I didn’t ask for?” He threw his hand out. “And the coat?”

“Lighten up, Verge!” Dante said with a grin. “You might even enjoy them.” Vergil glared at Dante, but the latter simply laughed. “And look!” He ripped a pile of shiny red leather from one of the boxes, and Vergil realized it was a literal pile of coats. “Now I’m all stocked up!”

Vergil could feel pure anger simmering within him. It had been awhile since he had felt this genuinely furious. He could manage the antics of his family with occasional frustration that was easy to push away. But, in that moment, he was well and truly ready to murder his brother.

A thud almost caught Vergil off guard as Nero kicked the door in. “Last one!” He yelled carrying a massive television in his arms. Vergil didn’t have a television, nor did he want one. His wife was blind for Hell’s sake. And she had assured him that she had no interest in excessive noise. “Poor guy’s climbed those stairs like fifteen times. Promised him I’d pick up the games when he came back.”

“Games?” Vergil said. “I do not need…”

“Don’t worry!” Nero said with a grin. “You’ll appreciate it later.”

Scratch that. In that moment, Vergil was ready to murder them both. But Nero, oblivious, started setting the television up, mumbling to himself about technology things Vergil didn’t understand.

“And how much did you spend on these… needs?”

Dante shrugged. “Wasn’t keeping track. Probably a couple thousand. Chump change for you, right?”

Vergil’s grabbed Yamato and teleported, seconds from cutting his brother to ribbons: brand new coat and all.

* * *

On day two, Kyrie woke up in the late afternoon with a persistent headache and a panther lying beside her. It took her far too long to realize it was Shadow, dozing away. The familiar shimmered with a hint of gold that radiated a soothing aura that was pleasantly warm to the touch.

Scratching at Shadow’s ears, Kyrie winced as she sat up. Nico was snoring on the couch in the corner, and Ashira was nowhere to be found. Kyrie pressed on her arm, trying to ease some of the tension out of her body. Everything was sore, even though she hadn’t done much the day before. The bus ride had been a bit rocky, she supposed, but no more than any other trip she’d gone on. And while the more reasonable side of her wanted to say it was just a cold, the irrational side of her couldn’t forget her frequent illnesses under Mira’s influence.

But the woman had promised the mark was removed. So everything should be fine… right?

Shadow nuzzled her hand with a quiet purr. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” Kyrie whispered. The panther just yawned, stretched in a very cat-like way, and hopped off the bed. As she reached the door, she looked back at Kyrie with a rather expectant flip of her tail. Follow me. Kyrie could imagine her saying. So, as quickly as possible, Kyrie grabbed a coat, slipped on her shoes, and followed.

Not too far from the cabin - but a good distance away from everyone else - Shadow lead Kyrie into a small cave. Inside was a pool of water, bubbling like a hot tub. At the bottom, Kyrie saw a few of Ashira’s feathers, glowing like exquisite jewels. Ashira herself was across from her, dipping her hand in the water. Alongside her was a strange looking snake creature with four tiny limbs that looked like hands and its long body coiled beneath it. And it was peering into the water with amazement. “V.” Ashira said to no one. “Take Griffon out of here, please.”

Both subjects in question appeared, V with a gentle bow to Kyrie. Griffon, surprisingly, said nothing as he shot out of the entrance with V close behind. “They’ll keep anyone else from getting here.” Ashira said as she stood up to admire her work. “I hope the water’s not too warm.”

Kyrie dipped her foot in. The shock of comfort almost made her want to jump right in, clothes and all. “It’s perfect.” She said, pulling back. “But why…?”

“You’re sick.” Ashira said. “This will help you.” She sounded nervous, but her expression was a perfect picture of calm. Probably a habit she had picked up from Vergil. The two did seem to be adopting pieces of the other’s personality the longer they were together. Good. Kyrie thought with a smile, but didn’t say it.

“And,” Ashira continued. “If you would allow it, I would like to check your soul.”

Kyrie’s fear came back, but she pushed it down. “Is the mark…?”

“I didn’t see it.” Ashira said. “But I want to be 100% certain.”

Shadow’s snout pressed against Kyrie’s leg, as if in encouragement. Kyrie took a deep breath. “Okay.” She shed her coat, hiding her latent embarrassment. She was certain V would stay far away, and there wasn’t anyone else she was worried about. Certainly Ashira wasn’t too keen on showing off her demon powers at a place like this. But Kyrie was always uncomfortable with this type of thing.

“I can look away.” The snake offered. “If you’d like.”

Kyrie stared at it for a long moment. Then, she burst into laughter. The snake blinked. Even Ashira tilted her head. But the laughter kept coming. “Why am I not surprised?” Kyrie said between fits of giggles. “A talking snake. Of course.”

The snake looked up at Ashira, confused. The latter just rubbed at her arm sheepishly. “What can I say?” She said. “I think the demons like me.”

Once Kyrie caught her breath, she quickly undressed and slipped into the pool. The second the warm water rolled over her skin, her muscles relaxed for the first time in days. Kyrie sighed in content as Ashira and the snake moved to her side. “Her name is Lyra.” Ashira said. “And her mother is Ophelia, a healer like Kai was.”

Kyrie leaned her head back. “It’s good you found one.”

Ashira hummed in agreement. “I haven’t met her myself yet so…”

“Take Vergil.” Kyrie said with a wave of her hand. “No one will act up in front of him.”

Ashira snorted, but didn’t disagree. “Sit up just a bit.” Kyrie did so. A moment later, Shadow’s snout pressed between her shoulder blades. She remembered this part from the last time Ashira did this. Except the slight pain in her chest was replaced by a soothing warmth. Clearly, Ashira had improved. After a few minutes, Kyrie closed her eyes, enjoying the weightless - and pain free - feeling.

“Look there.” Lyra said. “In the soul.”

Kyrie almost spoke - in the soul? - but her mind was a blank haze of comfort. If Ashira was concerned, she didn’t show it.

“The moon.” Ashira said. “But not Mira’s. Something... stronger.”

Then Kyrie remembered.

“I saw her.” She mumbled. “After Mira pulled my soul out.”

There was a brief pause. “She… pulled your soul out?”

Kyrie hadn’t realized she hadn’t told her that part. “She was about to take my body, but Nero and the others showed up. Then, I saw a wolf.”

“A… wolf?”

There was no disbelief in Ashira’s tone. But there was a hint of shock. So, through the comfortable haze of the rest of her body, Kyrie pushed on. “Your mother… Celeste. She was there.”

Kyrie heard the air leave Ashira’s lungs. “She…” A pause. “Celeste visited you?”

“I think she was just a soul.” Kyrie said. “Like me. She said her power was waning, and told me that I could make better use of it than her.” She let her head drift to the side. The blank look on Ashira’s face almost yanked Kyrie out of the calm. But Ashira was holding her steady. At least, that’s what she assumed was happening. “I’m sorry.” Kyrie said. “I told her I would pass on a message, but…”

  
“It’s okay.” Ashira said, her voice quiet. “Can you… tell me now?”

“She told me she didn’t blame you for what happened.” Kyrie said. “And that she loved you as if you were her own.”

Ashira was silent for a long time. Kyrie could feel her energy poking on her soul (or that’s what she assumed the occasional prickle of heat was in her chest), but she said nothing. Kyrie’s mind raced as much as it could in the haze. Had she waited too long? Should she not have said anything? Was Ashira upset? That was the last thing she wanted to…

“That’s what this is.” Ashira whispered. Kyrie heard her voice crack just slightly, but she was quick to hide it when she started again. “My mother put the remainder of her soul within yours, strengthening it.” Kyrie felt a hand on her shoulder. “Have you felt any different since this?”

“I can see these.. .whisps.” Kyrie said. “Really small flames that change colors. And... I just… know what emotions they’re feeling. I’ve even been able to sway a few, I think, but I’m not sure how it works.”

She heard a soft sniffle behind her. “She believed in you.” Ashira said. “And.. .I’m glad to see it.” There was a quiet laugh. “If anyone can handle that type of power, its you.”

“Can you teach me?”

“Not as well as I would like.” Ashira said. “I sense emotions from time to time, but I could never influence them.”

“I don’t want to mess it up.”

“You won’t.” Ashira said. “Your heart’s too good for that.”

Kyrie might have blushed, but her body was already too warm to make much of a difference. “Almost done.” Ashira said.

A few minutes later, in which Kyrie almost fell asleep by how relaxed she was, she heard Ashira gasp. The snake hissed in what could be interpreted as happiness. “Mom was right!”

Shadow’s snout left Kyrie’s back and her mind returned to almost perfect clarity. “Right about…?” She turned around and paused when she saw the grin on Ashira’s face.

“Looks like you’re going to be giving Nero some good news.”

* * *

On the last day, Dante remained unconscious in the corner of Vergi’s living room while Nero spent hours shipping everything back.

In all honesty, Vergil hadn’t realized that things purchased through Alice (or, according to Nero, on the internet) could be sent back at all, much less for money. But even if he had known, he doubted that would have saved Dante from his current predicament. At the very least, Vergil had knocked him out cleanly, as there was no blood, broken furniture, or anything but the man snoring on the floor that implied there had been a fight at all. The only thing they couldn’t send back was the coat Dante was wearing, as it was currently torn to shreds and beyond human repair.

That, at least, was a price Vergil was willing to pay.

“All packed up.” Nero said. “Nico can deliver it once they get here. I also took all of the extra voices off of Alice, so if you want to add anyone else, you’ll have to verify them yourself.”

Vergil didn’t have a clue what that meant. But he decided it didn’t particularly matter. For no one but him, Ashira, or V using Vergil’s voice would ever be allowed to talk to Alice ever again.

“The girls should be here soon, yeah?” Nero said. “I don’t suppose you’ll help me get the big guy to the van?”

“I will happily drop him off of the balcony.” Vergil said.

Nero shook his head with a small smile. “I’ll take that as a hard no then.”

“He would heal.”

“I can’t imagine how the people out there would handle that.”

“We have no neighbors.”

“That’s… probably a good thing.”

Vergil felt Ashira’s soul below them as the tether momentarily flickered into view; a simple reminder it gave him ever so often of its existence. But she was incredibly excited. Unusually so. Had time away from the house - from him - truly been that much of a boost to her psyche?

“You needn’t be concerned.” V said as he snapped into existence on the back of the couch. Nero jumped back, cursing to hide how startled he actually was. V ignored him. “She has missed you greatly, other me.”

Vergil looked away to hide his pride. “I’m not concerned.”

V gave him a knowing chuckle before lazily glancing at Nero. “They’re taking the slow way up to debate how to tell you the good news.”

Nero blinked, pointing to himself. “Me?”

“If they choose to, of course. Kyrie might want to wait.”

Nero scowled. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what, exactly?”

“Get me interested for nothing.”

“But the anticipation will drive you mad.”

“And why would you want that?’

“Entertainment.” V said.

Nero frowned. “I don’t remember you being this…”

“Well informed?”

“...Obnoxious.”

V chuckled, and offered no further retort. Vergil heard Kyrie giggling, followed by a few sharp words from Nico. “That’s too simple!’

“What if we used Shy’s fire?” Kyrie said.

He could hear Ashira’s confusion. “To do… what exactly?”

“Oh yeah, yeah yeah!” Nico said. “What if you turned your fire into glowing letters and spelled it out for him.”

“They don’t work that way.”

“Your feathers then…”

Vergil helped back a chuckle as Ashira awkwardly said, “bad idea”. Her control over her feathers was phenomenal… in a fight. Controlling them in the middle of a busy room with nothing to aim at usually led to holes in the wall and tears in the furniture. “Just tell him.” She said as they reached the door.

The door opened, and Ashira’s eyes lit up as they fell on Vergil, followed by an equally happy smile. When she spoke, it was her Phoenix tongue that came rushing out. “I’ve missed you, Saina.”

After ensuring that the others were too preoccupied to be looking or listening to them, Vergil said “Welcome home.” Her language was much rougher on his tongue, but he was learning. And he quite enjoyed having a language all to themselves, especially with Dante hovering around. “Good news, I presume?”

She nodded as she took his hand, but hid it by standing directly beside him. Considerate of her, as he was still getting used to these “public displays of affection”, even if it was only his own son and an unconscious Dante who would care. “Do you want to hear it from me or wait for Nero to figure it out?”

Vergil watched Kyrie as she nervously took Nero’s hands. Curious, (and confident he could figure whatever was going on before his son did), he waited. “So,” She said before taking a deep breath. “This weekend has been rather… enlightening. But it seems I took more people than I was expecting.”

Nero blinked. “Like more… people from the church?”

Kyrie shook her head. “Well they might be in the future, but I’ll let them choose that for themselves.” She shrugged. “You’ll get to meet them in a few months.”

Vergil glanced at Ashira, but she just shrugged with a smile that told him she knew exactly what he was thinking. “Well,” Nero said. “I’m sure they’re nice people.”

“If they take after their father, then absolutely.”

“Who’s their father?”

The audible smack of Nico’s hand hitting her forehead echoed throughout the house. “I know she’s trying to be subtle, but you’re hopeless, devil-boy.”

Nero scowled at her, but Kyrie pressed his hand to her stomach before he could react. “Twins.” She said.

Nero’s expression froze between pure shock and some kind of strange not-upset-but-doesn’t-know-what’s-going-on horror. Vergil could practically hear the wheels in his son’s head slowing to a crawl. “You’re…” He choked on the word. Tears welled up in his eyes. “I’m… we’re…”

“Yes.”

He burst into excited laughter, yanking Kyrie into a tight, spinning hug with little care in the world. “And she’s healthy.” Ashira said. “Her soul is well protected, but…” She trailed off and shook her head. “I met a doctor that is going to take care of her, just in case.”

When Nero went to kiss Kyrie with reckless abandon, a groan in the corner drew everyone’s attention. “What’d I miss?” Dante said, drowsy as he sat up to grab his head. A blue sword embedded into his chest. He groaned again, putting one thumb in the air as he rolled back. “Alright. Back to sleep it is.”

Nero rolled his eyes as he kissed Kyrie’s cheek, then wandered over to grab Dante by the coat with his wings. “Come on, deadweight. We’ve got a lot to do.” He said, dragging Dante’s body across the floor. He took Kyrie’s hand with his, and she giggled as he almost yanked her out of the door. Nico laughed, following after them as she waved to Ashira and Vergil. Vergil heard Nero yell back as the sound of a thump indicated Dante had been tossed into the elevator. “See you around, Dad!” Nico kicked the door closed, and everything quickly fell silent.

Ashira looked up at him. “So… the house is in one piece?”

“Yes… but barely.”

“About as expected then.”

“Could’ve been worse.” He said. “A lot worse.”

“Mama…” Calcifer said, his little arms flopping as he continued to lay on his back. His stomach was much bigger than it was when Ashira left. “I ate too much chicken.”

“And you have no one but to blame but yourself.” Vergil said.

When the dragon groaned, a puff of smoke slipped out of his nostrils. “I’ll never do it again.”

“Take that!” Griffon said as he appeared on Ashira’s shoulder. “No more chicken for you!”

Calcifer’s eyes narrowed as he forced himself to his feet to glare at the bird. “I’ll still eat you, Mr. Chicken.”

“Ha!” Griffon laughed. “Good luck with that, small fry!” Shadow appeared at V’s feet, growling as her shoulders tensed. Griffon squacked, flying backwards into the kitchen and knocking off a dozen containers, empty boxes, and about everything else that he could. “Don’t take his side!” Shadow growled again, stalking him around the countertops. She hadn’t lunged yet, and Vergil silently hoped she wouldn’t.

V sighed. “Go.” He said, waving his hand dismissively. “I’ll deal with them.”

“I could certainly use some rest.” Ashira said with a rather innocent, but also unmistakably coy smile.

“Sleep.” Vergil said with a soft hum. “That does sound enticing.”

“Well,” Ashira said. “Considering you’re going to be a grandfather soon, you’ll probably need lots of it.”

He twitched at that, but buried the slight bought of nerves by resting his head on her shoulder. “You’ll be a grandmother too, little flame.”

“Gah we’re old.”

He snorted. “Technicalities.”

“We could just stay 20 forever, you know.”

Another twitch. That was younger than Nero. “30.”

Suddenly, Shadow lurched off of the floor, landing on the countertop before swiping at Griffon. Calcifer shrieked as he tumbled backwards. V caught him and reached for Shadow, but she and Griffon were already darting circles around the room. Ashira glanced at Vergil. “Can we just…”

“Yes.” He swept her into his arms and carried her away from the chaos. They could deal with that mess later.


End file.
